INDIANAPOLIS—Now that Jeff Gordon and crew chief Alan Gustafson are on the same page, the prospect of a fifth Sprint Cup championship for the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet is more than just whimsy.

Gordon was the class of the field in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway but found himself on the wrong side of pit strategy in the closing laps. After stopping for fuel with 26 laps left in the race, Gordon began picking off cars that were attempting to stretch fuel mileage and charged through the field.

Ultimately, he came up one position short, finishing second to first-time Cup winner Paul Menard.

Gordon was disappointed with the runner-up result, but he was elated by the performance of his car and his team. Gordon said increasing familiarity with Gustafson, with whom he joined forces at the start of the season, is paying significant dividends.

“Alan and I, it took us a little while to get to know one another, how to communicate with one another, what I need in the car,” Gordon said. “He’s been really giving me great stuff to drive. It’s been a blast.

“Obviously, we wanted to win this race, but we also wanted to make a statement. I think we certainly did that. While we didn’t win, I think we definitely showed that we’re a championship-caliber team. We’ve been knocking on the door, getting closer every weekend, won a couple races.”

For Gordon, nothing could be a better omen for the rest of the season.

“This is going to be a huge boost for this race team,” he said, “and hopefully a bit of a statement to the competition as well that we’re serious about our efforts at a championship this year.”

Edwards limps home in 14th but expands points lead

Doubtless Carl Edwards was relieved to escape the speedway after a 14th-place finish Sunday.

All weekend long, Edwards had been hammered by the media about the unresolved status of his plans for next year. Would he stay with Roush Fenway Racing, or would he sign with Joe Gibbs Racing, as has been rumored?

In the race itself, Edwards first thought he had an engine problem (which never materialized) and later sustained damage that required a quick tape job on the nose of his No. 99 Ford.

All things considered, Edwards’ finish—assisted by stretching his fuel mileage—was better than expected, and it allowed him to expand his lead in the series standings from seven to 11 points over Jimmie Johnson, who ran 19th Sunday.

“Our day was not good, but it ended up finishing well,” Edwards said philosophically. “Our (car) was pretty slow. I wasn’t doing the best job I could, and then I tore the left front splitter off in the grass. That ended up being the thing that saved us, because we came in (to the pits) over and over again fixing it.

“We pulled back out, and I said (to crew chief Bob Osborne), ‘What’s our best chance here?’ Bob said, ‘Save fuel.’ We ended up 14th. We were running about 25th when I tore up the splitter. It ended up better than I thought it was going to. But definitely we have to work on this track before we come back—it’s a tough one for us.”

Troubles for new crew chiefs

Sunday’s race brought inauspicious debuts for three new driver/crew chief pairings. AJ Allmendinger, working with veteran Greg Erwin for the first time, got the best finish of the group—22nd. Juan Pablo Montoya, with new crew chief Jim Pohlman on his pit box, finished 28th.

Despite having a fast car, Jeff Burton had to deal with issues on pit road and ultimately left the race in 35th place, sidelined by an ignition problem after 152 of 160 laps. As he was entering pit road early in the race, Burton temporarily lost communication with new crew chief Luke Lambert.

“We had a little miscommunication on pit road, and the radios blanked out, and I couldn't hear him, and I drove by (my pit stall), and it put us in a hole the rest of the day,” Burton said. “But we were fast, and it was just the same old deal. We just had a lot of crap go on.”